Surgical appliance.



No. 789,286. PATENTED MAY 9, 1905. W. F. MAIN.

SURGICAL APPLIANCE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 28, 1904.

I ma m l" Y wibwa/pm UNITED STATES Patented May 9, 190 5.

WILLARD E. MAIN, or IoWA orrr, IoWA.

SURGICAL APPLIANCE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 789,286, dated May 9,1905.

Application filed May 28, 1904. Serial No. 210,261.

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be itknown that I, VVILLARI) F. MAIN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Iowa City, in the county of Johnson and State of Iowa, haveinvented certain new and useful Im provements in Surgical Appliances, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention is an appliance intended to prevent nocturnal emissions bycausing an alarm that will awaken a sleeper whenever the urinary organbecomes enlarged and be fore any discharge can take place; and myinvention consists of a receptacle which can be readily applied to andworn upon the body, with means for insuring the completion of anelectric circuit on any undue pressure from said organ, as fully setforth hereinafter and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, inwhich- Figure 1 is a section of the receptacle and adjuncts; Fig. 2, anexternal view of the same, showing its connection with an electric bell;Fig. 3, a plan of the bell and battery box.

The device consists, essentially, of a receptacle A of any suitablecharacter, a movable piece of any required character so arranged inrelation to electric terminals that it will by change of position makeand break the circuit including said terminals, and means whereby toattach the device to the person of the wearer, together with an electricbell or other electric alarm B, flexibly connected with the receptacleby conductors, including the terminals, bell-battery, and bell-actuatingmagnet.

As shown, the receptacle A is a hollow tube, preferably of rubber andperforated to allow air to circulate freely and avoid heating the organ,and the bell-battery (not shown) is connected electrically by a flexibleconnection D with the terminals in the receptacle.

As shown, the terminals are in the form of two series of light springs 11 and 2 2, the springs 1 1 connected with one wire of the circuit andthe springs 2 2 with the other.

The circuit-closer in this case consists of a plate 3, connected to orforming part of a movable piece E, shown as a rubber disk, so supportedas to normally break the circuit, but in position to make contact withthe organ on any abnormal enlargement of the latter and to then yielduntil it contacts with the springs 1 and 2, and thus closes the circuit.As shown, the piece E rests on a spiral spring 5, and the tension of thelatter may be increased or diminished by moving a bearing plate or ring6, on which the spring rests, by means of adjusting-screws 7 7. It isobvious, however, that the pieceE may be differently supported, so as toyield readily as required.

It is desirable in some cases to set the contact-piece E at differentdistances from the end of the receptacle. I therefore support the saidpiece and its ad juncts in a carrier F in the form of a box fitting inthe receptacle and movable by a screw 8, turning in a threaded openingin the end of the receptacle and attached at its end, so as to rotate,to the bottom of the box.

The connection of the receptacle to the wearer may be by means of clampsGr, flexibly attached to the receptacle and adapted to engage theclothing or a suitable band worn upon the body.

l Vithout limiting myself to the construction shown, I claim- 1. In asurgical device of the character set forth, the combination of a tubularreceptacle, a longitudinally-movable contact-piece therein, a spring forcarrying it in one direction, terminals, and means for electricallyconnecting them on moving the contact-piece to compress the spring,substantially as set forth.

2. In a surgical device of the character set forth, the combination of atubular receptacle, a contact-piece supported to slide therein, a springfor carrying it in one direction, terminals beneath the contact-piecebut'normall y out of contact therewith, and means for altering thetension of the spring, substantially as set forth.

3. In a surgical device of the character set forth, the combination of atubular receptacle, a carrier adjustable therein, a movablecontact-piece in said carrier, a spring for carrying the contact-piecein one direction, terminals, means for electrically connecting them onmoving the contact-piece to compress the spring, and means for shiftingthe position of the said carrier in the receptacle, substantially as setforth.

4L. In a surgical device of the character set forth, the combination ofa receptacle, a movable contact-piece, a spring for carrying it in onedirection, tWo sets of springs connected with different parts of anelectric circuit, and a metallic circuit-closer carried by thecontact-piece in position to contact With both sets of springs,substantially as set forth.

5. The combination of the receptacle, a carrier, and means for adjustingit in the receptacle, and a movable contact-piece arranged to make andbreak an electric circuit and supported by said carrier, substantiallyas set orth.

W'ILLARD F. MA IN.

lVitnesses:

EDWIN B. \Vlnsox, R. P. HOWELL.

